Press Conference @ 3:15PM
Announcements
- Expand the program to cover above age of 16.
- Covers 16-29. About 1.08M people. 6.5M people covered.
- Lowest age for BioNTech - 16
- SinoVac - 18
- Starting from 9AM on Friday, you can book your appointments.
- You only need to show your ID card, no additional docs required
- 16-17 need parents consent (available on website)
- Adding 3 more CVCs for BioNTech
- 2 Sports Centers (CoronaVac right now, will be changed to BioNTech)
- 1 Sports Center - 1st of May will do BioNTech
- Can book at these centers from tomorrow, for 1st of May
- CVCs will operate till end of Sept.
- Limited supply of BioNTech - need to get them before Sept.
- Plan to run the BioNTech doses till end of Sept
- Book ASAP as some of the vaccines "may expire" and might not have enough supply towards the end of the program.
- People can still take SinoVac from Doctors and other HA OPDs.
- "We are on the home stretch" (not sure about this... I don't even think they've gotten to 10+% vaccinations.)
- Prof Sophia Chan
- EU / US might allow people who have been vaccinated to avoid / shorten quarantine. (UK still considered high risk)
- When these locations relax their quarantine, if HK does not match their rates - HKers may not be able to travel there.
- Planning next round beginning next year - new generation of vaccines are being reviewed. To consider new variants.
- I am not sure I get the maths involved - unless there are some shipments planned from Pfizer. These press conferences are getting very very very repetitive and it is getting hard to pick up new information.
- 950K doses (1st and 2nd included) have been given in HK
Q&Q
- Only Sinovac doses after Sept?
- CVCs will operate based on BioNTech vaccine. 7.5M deliveries are ordered and expected in batches.. The vaccines expire in 3-6 months. The capacity of the CVCs are able to handle 7.5M doses in the next 5 months.
- Do not want to see any wastage of BioNTech vaccines. Urge public to make bookings as early as possible.
- Will monitor the situation and people should use current capacity fully. Every day, BioNTech CVCs can handle 40K doses. The capacity is being wasted (not vaccines).
- Will you offer to those < 16?
- Need to have vaccines available to consider.
- Some vaccines have data for those < 16. Requesting and reviewing data from manufacturers for recommendations to govt.
- Two cases of pregnant women who took the vaccines and had miscarriages. Did they know they were pregnant before they took the vaccine and will the recommendations be changed?
- BioNTech has a warning stating that they are not suitable, unless there is some high risk situation.
- Women who are breast-feeding / about to or are pregnant - they really should consult a doctor.
- SinoVac has a similar warning
- DH is following up with the Hospital Authorities to review what has happend
- According to WHO guidelines - even events not linked to the vaccine are still reported as "adverse events" and they're then reviewed and will be reported within 2 weeks.
- Age discrimination for those < 16 if they cannot party with the elders after 10PM?
- Details being worked out.
- 24 wrong vaccine doses given - can you explain?
- Each case is being investigated. 17 people changed their booking choice. But went to the original vaccination center. There are some loopholes / issues and being worked on.
- 6 cases where the person went to wrong center.
- 1 case where the person went to the correct center they booked at.
- SMS messages are being reviewed to avoid more confusion.
- Status of original vaccine batches which are being investigated?
- Still stored and investigating and considering how to deal with these batches.
- Baxter has provided 2 more batches and there are no problems with further supplies
- Vaccination supply is adequate
https://webcast.info.gov.hk/revamp/eng/livecast.html